11. [Private Materials Sir Harry Luke] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry] Mrs. Lily Boys (nee Luke).

Seven Letters from Sir Harry Luke’s sister Lily and two of them with drafted answers by Luke (one of these on three pages). In one letter, Lily lets Harry know that one of her close friends is just reading the first Volume of Luke’s autobiography ‘Of Cities and Men’. The letters give an insight the closeness between brother and sister. Their handwriting is even similar due to the same teachers in their childhood. Luke’s personality and conflicts are discussed and the wish of his sister to comfort each other in their old age ‘instead of going on each others nerves’. Sir Harry was battling with Gout, a gift from his several postings, and his sister is asking about his health. They also discuss the holiday place at Alt-Aussee in Austria.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London, 1960. Octavo. 7 Letters. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

12. [Private Materials Sir Harry Luke] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry] Luke, Peter.

Two emotional letters from writer Peter Luke to his father, Sir Harry Luke. One of the letters from ‘The Shelbourne’ in Dublin (10th of April 1949) to Sir Harry while he is possibly travelling in Brazil, in which Peter Luke makes fun of his father giving him the middle names ‘Ambrose Cyprian’ and also mentioning that ‘By the way, just in case you meet any business people in Brazil, C& Co. are interested in exporting Port, Sherry + Irish Whisky to that country – Bon voyage – your affectionate son Peter’ / One of the letters from Peter Luke’s address in London discusses the wish to relocate to the Oxford area and contemplating if the location is right for his commute to work and Sir Harry obviously wants to help. Peter Luke informs him that he thinks 5000 pounds would do the trick but he was not sure ‘what your limit is’.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Dublin / London, 1949. Octavo. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

13. [Private Materials Sir Harry Luke] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry] [Joyce Evelyn Fremlin (Luke)].

Two letters from Sir Harry Luke to his wife Joyce Fremlin (1 ALS / 1 TL)/ One letter from Joyce Fremlin in return (1 ALS). One of the letters discussing the hardship of a reduced pension and the subsequent repercussions around him and for his wife and family / One letter in which he celebrates with his wife the arrival of a grandson [probably the son of writer Peter Luke, Harry Luke (brother of Georgiana)].

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Barbados, 1946 / 1947. Octavo. 3 Letters. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.

14. [Private Materials / Peter Luke] – [Luke, Sir Harry] Luke, Peter.

Collection of books and photographs together with a letter by Peter Luke to his father, Sir Harry Luke and an interesting letter by Alec McCowen [HadrianVII] to Sir Harry [talking about Baron Corvo etc.]. The collection includes: 1.Typed letter, signed by Peter Luke to his father, Sir Harry Luke, talking about the finalization of Sir Harry Luke’s amicable divorce from his wife ‘on the grounds of desertion’. / 2. Two books by Peter Luke, sent to Peter Luke’s daughter Georgiana (Giana) by irish poet and publisher Desmond Hogan, with a handwritten note. – The books are: I. A first edition of Peter Luke’s play “Hadrian VII” in perfect dustjacket and together with a related newspaper – clipping on the fantastic acting by Alec McCowen in ‘Hadrian VII’ – II. Peter Luke, Telling Tales – Selected Short Stories./ 4. Vintage photograph of Alec McCowen as Hadrian VII. , sent to Sir Harry Luke. inscribedby McCowen: ‘With feline good wishes, from Alec McCowen’/ 5. With a Manuscript Letter Signed (MLS) by Alex McCowen: “Dear Sir Harry, Thank you for such an enjoyable luncheon, – and for your most informative and amusing stories of Rolfe [Baron Corvo], Duse [Eleonora], the Divine Sarah [Bernhardt] and many others. I look forward to seeing you again. Yours sincerely, Alec Mc”.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London, 1945 – 1968. Octavo. Vintage Photograph. 9 cm wide x 16,2 cm high. Very good condition. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke and his grand-daughter Georgiana. In the here included letter, in which Peter Luke writes to his father’s address on Barbados, Peter Luke also writes about his brother Micky, Michael Luke, (Peter Luke tells his father of his brother Micky’s visit to him in London: ’(he) has given up what he describes as steady employment in Paris for a somewhat doubtful opportunity of getting a part in a movie over here’).

15. [Palestine / Transjordan / Israel / Egypt / Suez] – [Luke, Sir Harry / Lukach, Harry] Burrows, Ines / [Sir Bernard Alexander Brocas Burrows].

Interesting Manuscript Letter Signed (MLS) / Autographed Letter Signed (ALS) from Harry Luke’s friend, Ines Burrows, wife of British Diplomat, Sir Bernard Alexander Brocas Burrows, written from Sir Bernard’s posting in Bahrain, hinting at “The Suez Crisis” and the “British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956”. Written on Stationery of “The Residency – Bahrain – Persian Gulf”, Ines Burrows describes part of their life during Sir Bernard’s posting in 1953 as “Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, based in Bahrain and handling relations with Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the seven Trucial States (Wikipedia). After Ines Burrows asks Sir Harry Luke how long he will be staying with them she describes their life of Dinner Parties and their wish to not constantly be invited by those guests who feel they have to reciprocate. But the interesting parts of the letter clearly hint at meetings between Sir Bernard Burrows and the “Rulers”, just weeks prior to the outbreak of the “Suez Crisis” and the letter also delves into Burrows’ opinion of the Gulf States and into an arrangement of need to know between Sir Bernard’s official work and his wish to not disclose any of it to his wife Ines: “Darling, I quite forgot to say in my last letter (which I thought you knew) that the Goddard ….left Kuwait about a year ago- I don’t know if you thought they had come here ? Anyway I will do my very best to be as free as possible from rehearsals when you do arrive…….This place is still in a State. Bernard is constantly about. The Rulers came and spend 2 1/2 hours in the drawing room yesterday [5th of September,1956] & it was followed by an afternoon at the Palace & another conference. Things are now going a bit better and the news will “break” in due course. Bernard is very discreet & says respectfully that its better I shouldn’t know, in case my eyes should light up ….visible understanding if anything is asked or mentioned at a dinner party. Our [?] trip seems now to be starting on Saturday – if nothing worse happens……Much much Love…Ines”.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Bahrain [Persian Gulf], 6th of September, 1956. A4. Four pages on two sheets, with original envelope, cancelled in Bahrain and sent to Sir Harry Luke at Kuching, Sarawak, while staying with Sir Anthony Foster Abell KCMG, then Governor of Sarawak. From the private collection / library of colonial governor, diplomat and historian, Sir Harry Luke.